Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells and
provides an intriguing avenue into potential therapies for various diseases.
For example, there is great potential for cord blood cells to provide the
solution to HLA-mismatch issues in clinical transplantation. In fact, cord
blood lymphocytes have been found to be phenotypically and functionally
immature, suggesting they may not be as capable of mediating graft-versus-host
disease as bone marrow or peripheral blood derived cells1.

The cellular composition of umbilical cord blood is very similar to
bone marrow and includes hematopoietic stem (HSCs) and progenitor cells (CD34+
cells and CD133+ cells), lymphocytes, monocytes, and mesenchymal stem cells.

The number of stem cells present in umbilical cord blood is finite, resulting in one
of the major limiting factors in the clinical utility of cord blood cells. However,
there are currently studies focused on ex-vivo
expansion of specific cord blood cell types in an effort to mitigate the small
number of available cells per cord1.

The distribution of umbilical cord blood is tightly regulated, thus
access to cells might pose issues in your research. To address this concern, Lonza has an
established umbilical cord tissue acquisition program, so you can have easy
access to the cord blood cells you need for your research.

In addition, Lonza understands
the importance of being able to compare and contrast characteristics and
functions of cells from various donors, which is why most cell types are
available from a variety of donors. Lonza Scientific Support Specialists are
readily available to answer questions you have about obtainable donor
characteristics.

Lonza guarantees the performance of Clonetics™/Poietics™ cells only if appropriate Clonetics™/Poietics™ media and reagents are used exclusively and the recommended storage and use protocols are followed. any modifications made to the recommended cell systems including use of alternative media, reagents or protocols, will void cell and media performance guarantees. If you need assistance in selecting the appropriate media, reagents, or protocol, please contact Lonza Scientific Support.